At the End of it All
by weepingangel20
Summary: Sequel to At the End of the Day (still working on the title, any ideas are appreciated). Picking up a year after the first story left off we find Luke and Angel working side by side, adventure, romance, and craziness ensue eventually leading to FF6 and FF7. (I'm not good with summaries, sorry)
1. Chapter 1

So here's my attempt at writing the sequel to "At the end of the day". I hope it's not disappointing, I have already planned where this is going now it's just a question of which road i'll take to get there. If the timeline seems confusing i'm sorry but i'm still new at writing so just fyi this takes place a year after the end of the first story. So basically they've been in a relationship for one year at this point (and of course their friends with benefits arrangement the year before that). As always thank you for reading and any comments/reviews are appreciated. Happy Thanksgiving!

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><p>"You couldn't have gotten at least one size bigger?" Angel croaks out as Lucy zips her into the tight dress.<p>

"We need you to look incredibly sexy to pull this off as quickly and quietly as possible. So it has to fit like a glove." Lucy replies as she tugs on the zipper and closes the snap. She and Meg take a step back and grin in approval.

"You look amazing!" Meg smiles as she takes out her phone and takes a pic.

Angel turns to face the both of them, "I will kill you both when we're done."

"You've been saying that for years and you still haven't followed through." Lucy says shaking her head. "Besides, you love us."

Angel takes a deep breath, or tries to at least but her ribs can't quite expand in the tight red material. "You guys couldn't pick another color?" She's always felt too bashful for red, and as she studies herself in the mirror she feels her cheeks reddening to match the dress. "I look like a hooker." She says pulling on the end of the dress trying desperately to make it stretch another 2-3 inches to at least cover her to mid-thigh.

Meg swats her hands away, "Stop it, this dress is expensive and you'll ruin the material."

"And you don't look like a hooker," Lucy adds with a pat to her shoulder. "but more like a high end call girl." She grins then steps back quickly as Angel reaches to grab her.

A knock on the door catches their attention, "You girls almost ready, we got a timeframe to work with." Michael calls out.

"I'm ready." Angel sighs in frustration. When they'd been given this job she hadn't been too worried. Simple find and grab, but of course what starts out simple rarely stays that way and when they'd found their target it had lead them to an even bigger fish. Alexander Capouro, mass murderer and known arms dealer. As soon as she had called back home to inform David it had somehow ignited a frenzy with her superiors and DSS. Now it had become a joint venture to bring him in alive for questioning and Luke had been sent out to help.

It'd taken them one day to come up with this plan, it seemed the simplest and 'cleanest' solution to what could've possibly proven to be an epic fuck up. The man was always well guarded and had managed to evade capture for over a decade. He was good, no doubt about that but she was confident that her and her team were better.

Of course when she had come up with the plan she hadn't thought she'd be the one to go in, but since Meg was still recuperating from a sprained ankle and Lucy a bruise on her cheek they obviously couldn't play the "smoldering seductress" role so she got stuck with the job.

"Hurry up." Michael says knocking again.

Angel takes one final look in the mirror, her makeup is tastefully done, and her hair flows down past her shoulders in soft waves, her only real issue is the damned dress. The fact that she's wearing four inch heels only makes her feel as if it's even shorter than it really is. "Next time I pick the clothes." She grumbles under her breath as she makes her way out of the room.

"Wow." Michael smiles and Gabriel whistles in approval.

Angel can feel herself blushing slightly as they continue to stare until she hears Luke clear his throat which quickly catches their attention.

"Oh," Michael says looking over at Luke, "Sorry big guy."

Luke steps forward while Lucy and the others find something to keep them occupied for a few moments, giving the couple a few seconds alone before moving forward with the mission. Angel can feel his eyes moving over her and she suddenly feels even more self-conscious and squirms uncomfortably under his gaze.

Luke reaches out his hand, touching her chin and gently lifting her gaze to meet his. When she sees the look in his eyes she feels her heart flutter, in their deep brown depths she sees love and a hunger that she's come to know so well over the past 2 years. "You look…" he takes a deep breath while he tries to find the right word. "Beautiful just doesn't cut it." He says truthfully.

She smiles as she leans into his touch, her arms going around his shoulders as his wrap around her waist. "Aww, you're so sweet."

"Oh god these two never stop." She hears Lucy mumbling in the corner.

"I like the dress." Luke says as he focuses on how the material hugs her every curve, accentuating her 'assets'. From her head to her toes, the ways she's dressed tonight screams sex, and usually he'd be more than happy to answer but it does bother him that she'll be walking out into a room with other men who will also be able to enjoy the view.

"I'll give you a private viewing of all its details when we're done." Angel says as she noticed his serious look she's come to associate with him being jealous. "You just have to promise to be careful with it because it was very expensive." She adds remembering his track record with most of her outfits.

He grins before leaning in for a kiss. He meant to keep it short but their passion quickly begins to burn and a few moments pass before he feels something hit his back. They pull apart and he glances at the ground behind him seeing the pillow on the ground. He looks up and sees Lucy shaking her head disapprovingly.

"Am I gonna have to get some cold water for you two or can we move on now?" She says with her hands on her hips.

"I'm good to go." Angel says suddenly filled with confidence and renewed energy, she glances once more at Luke and winks before walking towards the Suite's double doors. "Com check." She says looking back at Lucy who gives her the thumbs up, then Luke and her walk out the room.

"_Remember to act like a body guard, not a boyfriend 'kay Luke." _He hears Lucy in his ear piece.

He doesn't bother answering and follows behind Angel as they make their way to the elevator. As they step in she looks over at him, "You look good too by the way." She says quietly as they ride down. He's wearing a tailored black suit with a black shirt and tie, very flattering.

He smiles at her, wishing that he could hit the emergency stop button on the elevator to give them a few moments together because he's finding it very hard to keep his hands to himself when she's looking so sexy in the little red dress.

"You ready?" he asks trying his best to refocus on the task at hand.

She nods her head, hands clenching and unclenching her fists as she breathes steadily to calm the slight nerves that have started to build. She's run a ton of missions in her long career, but situations where she has to play a character like this were always out of her comfort zone.

The elevator doors slide open and they're on the ground floor of one of the ritziest casino resorts in Montenegro, as soon as they step out of the elevator she's met with the onslaught of noise from the casino floor. She glances over at Luke, he nods his head slightly as they make their way to the high end tables.

"_He's over in the High Roller's lounge, it's an exclusive room so you have to play big to go in, no spectating." _Michael informs them.

Angel and Luke walk through the floor, he stays just a few feet behind her trying his best to ignore the gazes and gestures they make as she walks on by. They quickly approach the large set of double doors and the two burly body guards standing outside of them. They're chatting and joking around, and as they move their jackets move slightly and Luke can see they're clearly armed. As he and Angel get closer the men take notice and stop talking, they glance briefly at Luke before Angel draws their attention and they seem to forget he's coming towards them.

His fists clench in aggravation as they step in front of them and he watches as Angel takes over. He's just the silent and frightening body guard to a wealthy client, that's his role tonight so he'll do his best to play along. It becomes even harder to keep his character when he notices that the fattest body guard's eyes are nowhere near Angel's face, and instead he seems to be undressing her with his eyes. He's so focused on imagining the world of hurt he's going to put on him when they're done that he doesn't even notice that they've stepped to the side and let them in.

"You ok?" Angel mutters, noticing his jaw tensing and his fists clenched tightly.

He takes a deep breath, "I'm fine, just making a mental note of all the men I'm going to kill when we're done tonight." He whispers.

She laughs briefly before growing serious again, they make their way through the room and she's stopped a few times by various men who ask her to blow on their dice or request that she sit by them for luck. She politely turns them down while making her way to the bar at the far end of the room.

Luke pulls out a chair and stands beside her as she orders a glass of wine. She sips on it and sits patiently waiting as she glances around the room nonchalantly and spots their target. She lifts the wineglass to her lips and whispers "He's at the table, 10 o'clock." Luke glances casually and begins taking note of the body guards surrounding the target's table. Four total, definitely armed and large but if all goes according to plan they shouldn't pose too much of a problem.

"_I see him, and his goons." _Lucy says over the com. With Meg and Gabriel's assistance they had managed to hijack the camera feed all over the casino.

Angel takes a few moments, and another sip of wine while trying to make the decision of whether or not to approach the man or make him approach her.

"_Well? What are you waiting for?"_ Lucy says playfully. "_You heading over there or what?"_

"I'm thinking." Angel replies using the wineglass to hide the movement of her lips. She hears Lucy chuckle in response.

"_Well he ain't gonna come to you so get your ass in gear." _

Angel sighs while taking another sip of her wine, and smiles slightly to herself before raising the glass to her lips once more to take the last gulp. "Wanna bet?"

"_Oh, you wanna do this?" _She can hear the cockiness in Lucy's tone.

Angel just smiles before turning to the bartender to order another glass. "Yep."

"_But you still owe me ten grand from our bet last year." _Lucy reminds her.

"_Ladies can we do this some other time please?" _She hears Michael chime in, and then after a moment and some shuffling she hears him say ouch and she fights the urge to smile.

"You forgive that if I win." Angel mumbles quickly.

"_Only if you double it when you lose?"_

Angel can see the quick glance Luke shoots her, clearly he thinks they're both insane but she just smiles assuredly. "Deal." She smiles at the bartender and thanks him for the glass before turning slowly in her seat, she slowly glances around the room. Her gaze slowly making its way to their target. She keeps it low, playing bashful but keeping sight of him using her peripheral vision. She can see that his guards are actively staring in her direction and after a few moments their interest seems to spark the curiosity of their boss and he moves in his seat, angling his head to see what's gotten their attention.

She brings the wineglass to her lips again to hide the smirk before whispering to Lucy, "Got him."

"_You do not."_

Angel slowly brings her gaze to meet the targets and offers a shy smile before turning away bashfully. She pretends to be interested in the area, glancing at the decor and at the various table games available and after a few moments glances again towards the target's direction. She makes sure not to make eye contact with him but instead acts as if she's unaware of his existence, knowing that for a man used to the attention and adoration of all women around him it'd drive his ego crazy.

She can feel his eyes on her and finally makes eye contact, he smiles daringly at her and winks and she smiles back but maintains her bashful facade. She watches as the target says something to one of his guards, then the burly man makes his way over to her and Luke. He smiles slightly at her and inclines his head to Luke, clearly recognizing him as her body guard before speaking.

"Signori Capouro would like for you to join him at his table." The large man says pleasantly in his Mediterranean accent.

She glances at Capouro before looking back at his guard and smiling gently, "You can tell Signori Capouro that I'm not a bone to be fetched, and if he'd like to invite me he can come and do so himself."

Then she hears Lucy in the background, "_God I hate you sometimes." _She adds with a chuckle, clearly realizing it's now a lost bet.

Angel turns in her chair to face the bar once more as the guard walks back, clearly shocked by her response, to tell his boss.

"What are you doing?" Luke asks completely oblivious to her game.

"Watch and learn." She says taking another sip of wine. "Take a look over at him and tell me what he's doing."

Luke casually glances from the corner of his eye and can see the guard leaning down by his boss telling him what happened, he can then see the man's reaction. "He looks pretty surprised."

"Keep watching." Angel says munching on some caviar with crackers.

"I think we'll have to go to plan B." Luke says when a few moments pass and the man does nothing but play another hand.

"Wait for it." Angel says smiling slightly.

Luke glances again and is surprised to see the man standing up and walking towards them. "Ok, he's coming over."

Angel takes a moment to smile at Luke, "Don't doubt my awesomeness." She says playfully.

"_Bitch." _She hears Lucy sigh and can imagine her grim face knowing that she now has to forgive their previous bet.

Angel pretends to be completely unaware that he's coming closer and continues sipping her wine, facing away from him. She sees Luke out of the corner of her eye, he stands tall, shoulders back and the look on his face is suddenly quite serious, then she hears Capouro.

"Good evening." His thick Italian accent would be considered charming if she didn't know who he truly was and what he's done. She turns in her seat and smiles in response. "I'm…."

"Mr. Capouro," she interrupts, "Your friend over there told me as much."

He smiles at her before straightening his back and puffing out his chest slightly, she has to fight the urge to grin as he does so. "And you are?"

She holds out her hand, palm down as he takes it gently in his. "I'm Isabella DeRosas." She says rolling the R while throwing in a bit of a Spanish accent.

"_That sounds very convincing." _She hears Michael say about her accent.

Capouro bows his head, his lips brushing softly against her knuckles before he smiles charmingly. "It's truly a pleasure to meet you Ms. DeRosas."

"Likewise Mr. Capouro." She lies wanting nothing more than to snatch her hand away from his and punch him in the face.

"Please," he says still smiling, "a beauty such as yourself may call me Alexander."

"Well then Alexander," she slowly pulls her hand away with the pretense of reaching for her wine glass, "you can call me Isabella."

He glances over at her wine glass, "What are you drinking?"

"Oh just a simple Merlot."

He shakes his head, "That simply won't do." He says snapping his fingers at the bartender.

"Yes Signori Capouro?" the bartender responds nervously.

"A bottle of the finest Champagne available." He commands and the bartender practically trips over himself running to retrieve it. "Would you do me the honor of joining me at my table?" The way he says it almost seem like a command and she'd love nothing more than to throw her wine in his face but she's got a role to play.

"Of course."

He holds his hand out to help her down from her high seat and then glances over at Luke. "Your security isn't necessary, I have plenty of my own."

"I don't go anywhere without him," she says with a smile, "the world is a very dangerous place." She watches him as his jaw tenses for a moment before he turns his attention back at her and smiles.

"That is very true." His arm makes its way around her waist, "I assure you that while in my presence no harm will come to you."

"Well how sweet." She says as she allows him to lead her to the table. Luke stays right behind her, falling in line with the other body guards. She can sense Capouro's irritation at her insistence on having him with her but if he questions her further she'll just use the story that Lucy and Meg cooked up.

The other men at the table introduce themselves, a few of their names she recognizes and the rest she can hear Lucy and Meg mumbling about in the background. She plays the interested guest and joins in on their pointless and dull conversations. They enjoy the champagne and appetizers, courtesy of Capouro who continues ordering the most expensive items on the menu in an obvious attempt at impressing her.

Luke looks on as she plays her part well and fights the urge to roll his eyes every time Capouro uses another clichéd line. A few times he has to take a deep breath and count to ten to keep from snapping his neck as his hands roam over Angel's arms and back. She of course gently dissuades his advances and removes his hands from her body without offending him.

Luke can see that he's taking it as a challenge and with each moment that passes Capouro seems to become even more enthralled with the mystery woman he'd just met. He has to admit he's impressed because when they'd first told him this plan he had thought it would never work. He should have learned by now not to underestimate them. If the past 2 years of knowing Angel has taught him anything it's that when Angel and her team get together they can accomplish almost anything.

The minutes tick by and many of the men at the table have begun retiring for the night. The remaining men are either tipsy or stoned drunk, relying on their own guards to help them head back to their respective rooms.

"And you my dear," Capouro says brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face, "are you tired?"

She smiles and can feel the soreness in her cheeks because she's never had to smile and be so polite for so long and her facial muscles just aren't used to it. "Not really."

"Perhaps we should retire to my Suite, I'm sure you must be bored with Poker by now." He leans in closer to her, his lips just a few inches from hers and she turns her head just as he moves in for the kiss.

He pulls back, clearly embarrassed and she just takes a sip of her champagne. He won't be deterred though and sees his opportunity again, this time leaning in quickly.

Luke bites back a grin when Angel catches his lips with her finger instead, "I'm no exhibitionist Alexander," she grins when she really wants to heave. "let's move this to your room."

Before he has the chance to grab her or try another kiss she stands quickly and walks sexily around the table before making a beeline for the doorway, Luke right behind her. She pauses at the door way and turns to throw him her best 'come hither' look and he's on her like a flash, his guards practically jogging to keep up.

Luke follows closely behind Angel as Capouro leads the way across the casino floor over to the private elevators. When they reach them Capouro punches in some key codes and the two elevators open up he glances at his men and then glares briefly at Luke before pointing at the second elevator, "You all take that one, we'll go up alone."

Luke can feel every muscle in his body tense up but keeps his face calm, he glances at Angel and can clearly tell that under her cool façade she's not happy about it either but if either of them push to go on the same elevator it would seem strange and alarming to Capouro. She nods and smiles at Capouro before being led into the other elevator. Luke stands behind as he watches the doors slide closed then walks in to the other elevator with the other five guards.

He moves to the back of the elevator, keeping his back against the wall and tries to look as casual and uncaring as possible but he's paying attention to every detail of those around him. They're all carrying at least one gun that he's notice, two of them also have knives. The tallest man seems to be the leader of the group and he's the strong silent type, the other two younger ones are joking around quietly, and the other two he recognizes as the two from the entrance to the high rollers room.

He glances over at the digital display, watching as they make their slow ascent to the highest floors. With each number that passes his concern for Angel's safety grows and he finds it harder to stay still. He listens intently to the silence coming through his ear piece.

"_It's ok big guy," _Lucy says reassuringly having picked up on his stress, _"I got a view of the elevators and she's fine."_

In the other elevator Angel also stares at the digital display and swears she's on the world's slowest elevator. It slowly pushes by the 9th floor, then 10th, and then she feels his hands on her again. They're on her waist and they're moving her to face him. Her hand tightens around her small purse in an attempt to control her anger which slowly begins to rise. 'Play it cool.' The words float through her mind.

He moves in and she immediately turns her face to avoid their lips touching but much to her disgust he doesn't seem fazed and instead his lips find her neck. She feels as if her skin is crawling and her whole body tenses at the feeling of his touch. He's taking more liberties now as his hands move around her, one hand sliding down to her ass and the other slowly slides its way upward.

She moves his hands away from her gently but really wants to cut off the offending appendages. He pulls back from her and clearly looks perturbed, and then he grins and in one quick movement he has her pinned against the wall with one of his knees pushed between her legs effectively spreading them apart.

"Ok, plan A has officially been cancelled."

"_Ah shit." _She can hear Lucy and Michael sigh.

Luke immediately tenses when he hears Angel's voice over the com, then he can hear some noise and Lucy and Michael rushing to speak at the same time. He has no idea what's going on but clearly Angel is in trouble. Then he hears some noise coming from the elevator itself and the guards hear it too. Luke glances at the head guard and he knows that the man can tell something's wrong. The man moves to shut down the elevator but Luke hits his arm out of the way. The elevator erupts into chaos in a matter of seconds and he finds himself moving as quickly as possible, dodging as many blows as he can all while delivering some hard punches of his own. Guns are drawn but in the cramped quarters it becomes difficult to move and he manages to knock the guns out of the situation.

He tries reaching for his but realizes in the back of his mind that gun shots will draw unwanted attention and they need to try to escape unseen with their target. So brute strength it is and he continues fighting till he's the only one left standing with five limp bodies all around him and some blood spattered on the walls. They finally reach the penthouse floor and the elevator rings and the doors slide open. He takes a quick look at his reflection in the golden walls of the elevator and straightens his tie, suddenly very happy with his choice to wear all black since it did so well in hiding the blood stains.

He steps over the bodies and out into the hallway, "Lucy talk to me, what's going on with Angel?"

Before Lucy even responds the other set of elevator doors open up to reveal an unconscious Capouro. The front of his shirt soaked with blood which was still leaking from his nose, he's slumped over in the corner of the elevator and Angel is busy running her hand through her hair trying to regain some semblance of normalcy to her appearance.

Luke immediately moves beside her to make sure she's uninjured. "What happened?"

"He got a little too handsy for my liking." Angel says readjusting her dress.

"_So plan B then people?"_ Michael asks.

"_You have to move quickly before someone calls these elevators back down and they find a bunch of guys lying in a pool of blood." _Meg says sounding slightly nervous.

Luke glances around the hallway spotting 2 cameras aiming in their direction, "Lucy can you hijack their feed and cut it please, we don't need them seeing us dragging these guys out."

"_On it."_

A few seconds pass as Luke and Angel wait anxiously for her signal. She catches him still staring at her, "I swear I'm fine." She says with a slight smile trying to brighten his serious mood.

"When he wakes up I'm going to kick his ass." Luke would like to do it immediately but it'll be no fun since he's already unconscious.

"I already broke his nose and hit him right in the groin."

"So I'll break his jaw, and his hands, definitely his hands." Luke adds. Angel glances at him curiously, "He touched you." He clarifies and she chuckles softly.

"That's so sweet." She says kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"_You two are so weird." _Lucy sighs before giving them the 'all clear' to start moving the bodies.

Angel searches Capouro for his keycard and they're happy to find that his Suite is just a few feet away from the elevators. She swipes it and opens the door, turning on the lights as she clears the room and then waves Luke in.

He throws one of the bodies over his shoulder, grabs the smallest guard by the collar of his jacket, and then drags Capouro by his ankle, laughing slightly when he turns the corner and hears Capouro's head hit the wall. "Oops."

Angel just shakes her head while he drops the bodies on the floor and retrieves the other three. "So how the hell are we getting him out of here?" She mumbles to herself glancing around the suite for something of use.

Luke can't just carry him out since it'd definitely draw attention, and she can't just wake him up and lead him out a gunpoint either. "Can't I just drop him out the window?" Luke jokes as he shuts the door behind him.

"_Superiors said very clearly ALIVE for questioning, not a pile of flesh and broken bones. Can't get answers from a corpse big guy." _Lucy cuts in.

"_While you guys figure this out me and Gabriel are going to start packing the gear and we'll have the plane ready. Radio ahead when you're on your way." _

"Okay Michael, have the engines running when we come cause we're going to have to leave asap."

"_Yes ma'am." _

Luke watches Angel's face light up for a moment and knows she's thought of an idea. He smiles as she watches Angel make her way over to a large Burberry suitcase in the corner and toss its contents, then drag it towards Capouro's body. He quickly lifts Capouro and drops him into the case and they spend the next few minutes awkwardly folding his limp body until they finally manage to close the case.

"He's definitely gonna feel that when he wakes up." Angel laughs.

"_What did you do?"_ Meg sounds worried.

"We stuffed him in a suitcase." Luke replies as he lifts the heavy bag. It looks as if though the zipper might burst at any moment but Angel assures him it's a high quality bag and will hold its own.

"Do you think that looks too weird?" She asks quickly before making her way to the door.

"A man carrying his woman's over stuffed suitcase?" He asks with a chuckle, "That's perfectly normal."

She punches his arm before opening the door and heading back to the elevator. "Lucy could you lock these two elevators just to make sure no one else uses them for a while?"

"_I'm trying because it'll really suck if someone catches on before you two can make it out of there." _

Angel and Luke make their way down the hall to the other set of elevators and quickly step in. The ride down seems so much faster and they stand somewhat relaxed by the silence in the small space. "All in all, it wasn't so bad."

Luke thinks on it for a moment. He realizes it's not so bad compared to their other joint operations they've gone on. "I think he job in Egypt was simpler."

Angel nods her head, "Yeah, but this was definitely no Istanbul." They both shake their heads remembering that clusterfuck.

The doors slide open and they're back on the ground floor. He follows close behind her as they walk casually through the casino lobby and past the various security guards, finally making it to the main entrance. They wait patiently outside in the warm air until the valet brings around their rental car, the young valet hands Luke the keys and then reaches for the suitcase.

"It's ok, I've got it." Luke assures him as he tosses it into the backseat. As he and Angel drive away she calls Michael to check that everything's going smoothly. Thankfully they've run into no major problems and have the plane filled up and ready to go.

Twenty minutes later they make it to the small private airstrip and can see that everyone is already on board. Michael and Gabriel come outside to help with the rest of the gear then torch the rental car before heading back inside and up front to the cockpit.

Once inside the plane Luke opens the suitcase and lets Capouro drop to the cold hard ground. He doesn't stir but is clearly still breathing so no one worries. Meg secures his arms and legs with zipties and then covers his head with a dark but breathable material. She then drags him to the rear corner of the plane and plops herself down into one of the reclineable chairs.

"Wake me when we get home." She tells them leaning back and covering herself with a blanket.

Lucy tosses a small pillow at her face, "We're not going straight home."

The look on Meg's face is one of utter disappointment, "Why?" She whines loudly.

"We gotta drop his ass off in London and meet up with David."

Meg looks over to Angel as if she could change the plan. Angel nods her head, "Sorry."

"Ugh." Meg curls up in her chair and falls asleep in seconds.

Lucy just shakes her head and grabs a pillow of her own before making her way to another seat, after a few minutes of cursing and turning Lucy finally manages to find a comfortable position and Angel can soon hear the light sound of her snoring.

"I'm gonna record that sound and play it back to her in the morning." Angel says grabbing a blanket as she and Luke make their way to an empty seat. He sits down first and then she curls up on his lap, kicking off her heels and sighing in relief. She pulls the blanket over herself and Luke and lays her head on his shoulder.

"Comfy?" he smiles.

She just sighs contently. Then wriggles slightly, "Actually it'd be so much better if I could just take this damned dress off."

"I'd be more than happy to help you with that but you and I both know where that'll lead." He tells her as he brushes his lips over her ear. He places a light kiss on her neck, then her cheek as she turns to face him.

"Well we'll land in a few hours and then we can get to a hotel and you can help me out of this wretched dress."

"It'll be my pleasure." He whispers as they kiss briefly knowing that if they continue it'll only make it harder.

"Till then I need to rest a bit."

He nods his head and leans back, his arms wrapping around her holding her close. "Love you."

"I love you too." Angel yawns before kissing his cheek.

He feels his muscles relaxing and then a thought comes to mind, he glances at his watch noticing that it's now just past midnight. He thinks for a moment, and then the sudden realization of today's date hits him.

"What is it?" Angel asks looking up at him. He'd seemed so tired just a moment ago and now seems wide awake.

He smiles at her and kisses her softly yet full of passion. When he pulls away she finds herself smiling but slightly breathless and she hates that they're on the plane and not back at home where she can drag him to bed and ravage him for days.

"Happy anniversary."

She sits up suddenly and can't stop smiling as she hugs him tightly, "Oh my god you're right." She kisses him on the cheek, then his lips before pulling away still smiling. "Happy one year anniversary. We'll celebrate properly once we're done with everything."

"Sounds like a plan." He says as she cuddles back up against him.

"Wait, do we count it as one year or two?"

He looks over at her questioningly, "What do you mean?"

"Well we've been 'together' for a little over two years but not officially together that long." She says trying to hash it all out in her mind.

"By officially together do you mean when we said I love you?"

"I guess that would be the benchmark by which normal couples calculate these sort of things right?"

He shrugs his shoulders, "I have no idea, but we're not exactly a normal couple."

"Not by a long shot."

"So how do you want to count it?"

"Today's date works just fine, I don't mind if we say one year or two." She says leaning back against him.

"How about we go with two?" he asks and finds her looking up at him for an explanation. "I was in love with you well before I told you so technically it's been more than a year for me."

"Same here." She nods her head, "Okay, two year anniversary it is then." She says happily.

"You realize what this means don't you?" Luke says as they slowly start to drift off.

"What?"

"That we're gonna need the next few weeks off."

"Why?" She's curious.

"Because we never got to celebrate our one year so we need to make up for it and it's going to take some time to do it properly." He says quietly by her ear.

She grins mischievously, "Sounds like a wonderful way to spend our time off."

* * *

><p>So any errors or typos are deeply regretted, I tried to proofread as quickly as possible. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading, and a special thanks to charnelisserivera099 for your lovely words of encouragement.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

I hope everyone has had a happy holiday season. I hope the start of this chapter isn't confusing or anything. If you don't remember David is Angel's boss pretty much. Anyway i'm trying to get the story moving into the action I have planned for it. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and thanks to those that have read/reviewed/fav'd.

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><p>"Alexander Capouro." David smiles as he holds the man's file in his hands and sees his still limp body lying inside the cold dark cell. The center of his face is quite swollen, no doubt from a broken nose and though he hasn't been debriefed on how exactly they managed to pull off their job he somehow suspects that Angel is directly behind the break.<p>

"We'll tend to his wounds and when he wakes up we'll notify you so we can begin questioning." The young Investigator tells David.

David glances down at the man, he looks no older than 25 and is desperately trying to be taken seriously so David decides to try his best not to patronize him in the next few days while he's a guest in his domain. "Have a doctor take a look at him, set his nose and dress whatever wounds he may have." David agrees he should be checked thoroughly, they wouldn't do well to let the man die. "Then have him be given a shot of epinephrine because I'm on a timeline and I'm not waiting for sleeping beauty to wake up." David hands the young man the thick folder and walks out the cold dank basement of the Interpol Headquarters in Manchester. He walks across the street, pulling his jacket tightly around him and cringing as he feels the fat rain drops landing on his head.

He hates when he has to travel to Great Britain, nothing but grey skies and rain anytime he's in town but it's where his job has taken him to so he'll be as quick as possible. Once he's in the black town car he lowers the partition and tells the driver to take him back to his hotel. While he's driven through the dark streets he pulls out his phone and calls Angel. The phone rings a few times before going to her voice mail.

He then decides to try Lucy's phone. "Hey David." She answers happily.

"Hello Lucy, are you alright?" He can hear the noise in the background, Michael and Gabriel laughing loudly and Meg squealing happily.

"We're all fine, did you see the package?"

David chuckles briefly, "Yes I saw how well wrapped you delivered him."

"What can I say, there was turbulence on the plane ride in."

"I'm sure that was all turbulence." He shakes his head, "Where is Angel?"

"Our fearless leader has been MIA since we dropped the target off at Interpol." Lucy replies.

David nods his head knowingly, with Luke in tow for this mission of course the two love birds went away the first chance they had. 'Young love', he thinks to himself.

"Did you need to talk to her? Cause I could try to find…"

"No, that's quite alright. You'll all have a few hours to rest before debriefing so just let her know if she contacts you." David doesn't want to disturb Angel and Luke, as long as they're present when he needs them to be their down time is their own to do with as they please.

"Yes sir." Lucy says playfully before hanging up.

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><p>"Luke." Angel groans out as his lips travel down her neck and his hands roam down her back pulling her against him. She knows she should push him away since they're in the elevator at their hotel and anyone could walk in but she can't bring herself to pull away. They breathe a collective sigh of relief when the bell chimes and the doors slide open revealing their floor.<p>

They leave the elevator quickly, holding hands as they race down the hallway looking for their room number. "Found it." He says quickly sliding the keycard and throwing open the door. He lifts her into his arms and resumes their kiss as he carries her into the room. They're so lost in their kiss that they forget the door is wide open, until they hear a slight scream.

"Oh my."

Startled they both pull apart and look over at the doorway to find an old lady and her small dog standing in the hall. The lady shakes her head disapprovingly at them before ushering her dog away, muttering quietly to herself. "Indecent." They hear her say.

"I think you should shut the door before we continue." Angel smiles as she pulls away from Luke.

He nods his head tossing the keycard and his jacket on the nearby table then shutting the door. He then takes a moment to admire the sight before him. She's still wearing the little red dress from the mission, mainly because he whined the whole plane ride here when she tried to change out of it. From the moment he saw her wearing it he knew there was only one way she was getting out of it, and that was going to be with his help.

The skin tight dress is hugging her every curve, her hips seem to be calling out to his hands, her breasts practically begging for the attention of his mouth. Her legs look incredible in the black stilettos but he can't help but feel that they'd look even better wrapped around his waist.

She watches him close as he continues to stare and she smiles at him. "Luke." She says catching his attention, "Come help me out of this dress." She beckons him closer with her finger, smiling seductively as she turns away and struts to the bedroom.

Luke watches intently as her hips sway with every step, as she gets to the doorway she pauses briefly and glances at him over her shoulder and grins before her arms reach behind her to the zipper of her clasp of her dress.

That seems to snap him from his reverie and in a few long strides he's behind her, lips on her shoulder and his hands on her hips. She leans back against him, enjoying the kisses he leaves on her neck and shoulder. She feels his hands as they slide up to cup her breasts through the material of the dress. She wants the wretched thing off so she can feel him.

She figures a little motivation will help him remove it quicker and she reaches behind her to up his growing bulge through his slacks. She can hear his sharp intake of breath, and his hands go still for a moment. She massages him gently, feeling him grow ever harder against her palm and she notices the changes in his breathing. His hands resume their movements, one caressing her breast while the other makes its way downward to the edge of her dress.

He lets it linger on the smooth skin of her thigh, trying to concentrate beyond the sensations her hand was causing. He decides to tease her as well and he slides his hand between her thighs.

She bites her lip to stifle a groan as she feels his fingers touching her gently, purposefully avoiding the spot she needs the most. She decides to play hardball and slides her hand past the waist of his pants and boxers, taking hold of his hardness. Her thumb touches the tip, drawing light circles before applying slight pressure.

He groans before kissing her lightly on her neck. "You win." He concedes as his hands leave her and move to the clasp of her dress. He slowly undoes the snap and lowers the zipper, admiring the way the fabric slowly falls from her body leaving him bare to his gaze. It pools around her feet, still clad in heels and now she stands before him in only the tiniest pair of black laze panties he's ever seen in his life.

She turns to face him and their lips meet in a heated kiss, his arms wrapping tightly around her crushing her to him. She loves the strength of his arms around her, and sighs as he lifts her easily and carries her to the bed.

They smile as they stumble onto the bed, his lips leaving hers to roam her body drawing gasps and soft moans from her lips. His hands aren't idle and soon she finds herself teetering on the brink, writhing against him seeking release. He happily complies and watches as her body responds eagerly, his name groaned out in satisfaction.

He kisses his way up her body before smiling smugly at her. She smiles back, "Why are you still wearing clothes?" She asks between breaths. He stands up and quickly removes his shirt and shoes, then his pants and boxers in one swift move. She smiles in approval, "That's more like it." She says reaching for him, pulling him down on top of her.

She groans out his name as he slides into her, her arms wrapping around his broad shoulders as she holds him close. They set a fast pace, and he quickly has her nearing the edge again. He leans back on his legs, pulling her with him and she feels him slide in even deeper. "Luke."

He'll never tire of hearing her groan out his name, he can tell by the tremor in her voice and her tightening almost painfully around him that she's very close. He quickens his thrusts, and within moments they both come crashing over the edge together. He holds her tightly against him as their hearts race, then slowly lowers her to the bed, his body still pressed against hers. He rolls to his side bringing her with him and she lifts one leg over his hip as they lay together in the dark room.

She can feel herself drifting slowly off to sleep, her body totally relaxed and mind at ease with his body so close. He's not far behind, eyes slowly closing as his breathing evens out. They're both torn from their sleepy states by 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.

"Oh god." Angel mumbles before throwing her head back into the pillow, pulling it around her ears. The phone keeps ringing before it sends Lucy to voicemail.

"You think it's important?" Luke glances over at her.

Angel sighs, "It's probably just her trying to bother us." She hopes it's true because she really just wants to get some sleep now.

The phone begins to ring again, this time Luke's accompanies it. Luke reaches for his discarded pants and pulls out his phone. "It's Michael." He tells her with a sigh.

As he answers his phone she gets out of the bed and searches for hers, after a few seconds of digging through the rest of their clothing she finds it and answers just in time.

"But I don't wanna go!" She whines childishly when Lucy tells her it's time to meet up at Interpol.

Luke gets the same message from Michael and gruffly responds "We'll be there in thirty minutes."

Angel hears him and glares. "Just tell David we'll meet you guys there." She tells Lucy before hanging up.

Luke gets up and walks over to her, "Just look on the bright side, after the debriefing we get to go home."

"Home sounds great." She smiles.

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><p>To the reader that pm'd me requesting smut, there ya go. Hope it wasn't too bad. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

I hope everyone had a great Holiday and happy New year! I hope this chapter isn't too bad, i'm trying to explain the in between stuff before going into the FF6 movie.

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><p>She walks angrily down the corridor past all the poker tables and slot machines, her blonde long hair flowing behind her. The guests are all drunk and the thick smell of smoke lingers heavily in the air around her making her gag. A few of the drunk patrons look at her lustfully, one winks at her and she sneers in his direction. She finally makes it to the front doors and is happy to see they've pulled their car around. She nods at Klaus to drive and sits quickly slamming the car door shut as she pulls out her cell.<p>

Klaus glances in her direction as he starts the car, "He's going to be very angry."

She looks at the large man, all brawn and no brain but he serves his purpose. Right now she doesn't want to hear information she already knows. She ignores his comment and waits patiently as the phone continues to ring.

"Vegh?" His low, gravelly voice answers finally.

"Shaw," she greets hesitantly. It's not that she's frightened of him, they've worked together for many years and she knows he won't be mad at her specifically. Yet hearing him get mad at anyone or anything was never a fun experience. "Capouro never showed."

The phone is silent as she and Klaus glance at each other while the seconds tick by. She can't see Shaw's face but knows that his jaw is probably clenched tightly in aggravation, his hand is probably gripping the phone as tightly as she is now.

"He didn't call?" Shaw's voice is quiet and steady. It unnerves her.

"No, no he didn't call or leave a message. We waited well past the rendezvous time and we checked the entire casino floor for him." She and Klaus had made a thorough search of the entire casino and even the high rollers room but they had no success.

"I want the camera footage from the hotel for the past 48 hours." Shaw tells her quickly.

She almost replies 'What the hell for?' but she bites her tongue and simply agrees to his request.

"Send it to me as soon as you've acquired it and then get back to base immediately." He orders before disconnecting the call.

"Well?" Klaus looks at her.

"We need to go back." She says through clenched teeth.

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><p>Shaw tosses his phone on the table in front of him, slamming his fist down on the table. He takes a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. It's only a minor setback but it's enough to add a bit of a delay to his schedule for his most important job. Capouro would've been able to provide the necessary weapons and equipment needed, and sure he could find someone else but on such short notice it'd be a nuisance and more expensive than originally anticipated.<p>

There is one thing he needed Capouro for that will definitely set the mission back, the Intel he could've provided on the parts they need to acquire. He had acquired the schematics for the pieces and locations, and he had promised Shaw that he even had access to the security blueprints for the locations holding the pieces.

It was a one stop shopping center for this mission, but with Capouro MIA he'd have to change up the plans. A little more time would be needed in his planning, and a bit more caution. He'd have to find out what happened with Capouro before moving forward though, and if it turns out the man simply decided to back out of their deal well then he'd be dealt with in the only way Owen Shaw dealt with "bad parts".

"Everything okay?" Her sleepy voice draws him from his angered thoughts. He turns to face her, she stands framed by the bedroom doorway clad in nothing but his shirt. Her hair ruffled and hanging wildly around her, lips still red and pouty from their kisses earlier that night.

"I'm sorry I woke you." He says realizing he must've been too loud.

Riley walks over to him smiling before sitting on his lap, "its okay, you sounded upset."

He kisses her briefly before smiling back at her, "Everything's fine. Just a small change of plans." He brushes her hair from her face, "When do you go back?"

"In two days." She sighs.

They rarely get to see each other, not surprising given their chosen career paths. If all works out well they'll see each other soon enough and won't have to part. He kisses her again, their passion consuming them as he stands up lifting her with him and makes his way back to their room. "Let's make the most of it then." He says with a grin.

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><p>A few hours later she's sound asleep and he sits at his laptop going through several hours' worth of footage Vegh had sent him. He saw Capouro check in with his guards, he hit the table games his first day at the resort, and again on the second day before he disappeared. It takes him another two hours to find what he'd been looking for.<p>

"Hello again." He whispers to himself as he stares at the screen. He can't help but smile as he watches Angel walking across the casino floor with Capouro close beside her. This certainly complicates matters, Angel being involved can only lead to difficulties as she so adequately proved with Malachai.

Her involvement changes everything, he keeps watching the video and watches them go into the private elevators before the feed goes black. He checks to see if there's any footage after their entrance to the elevator but there was nothing. Vegh had assured him that was the entire footage he had requested and he suspects that Angel's team has something to do with the missing pieces.

He briefly notices the large man following Angel around, no doubt a fellow agent. He's not alarmed by him, but knowing that Angel now has Capouro and whatever information he may have he's worried the man might break under pressure and discuss everything he had planned as well as his involvement. He's sure Angel doesn't know he's involved yet because if she did she would've caught up to him by now.

He needs to remove her and her girls from the equation, but he can't kill her. They have a history, and though it's complicated he could never bring himself to kill her. He can't have her involved in this job because it'll lead to them facing off against each other and that wouldn't end well.

It's going to take some extra concentration and planning on his part, but he's got a pretty damned good crew set up and could always bring in some extra help if needed. Angel and her girls would be the only real challenge and if he can sideline them then there won't be a problem. Once their involvement is finished the job should be simple enough with proper planning and tools, and whoever the authorities would get to replace Angel couldn't possibly pose a threat to his elite crew. He smiles and takes a sip of his drink as the plan begins to form in his mind.

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><p>So for those of us that don't remember the names of the characters (I had to IMDB it) Vegh is the blonde lady that races around in FF6 with Shaw and gets killed at the end by Brian and Mia, Klaus is the muscular guy that Hobbs fights with at the end on the plane. Thanks for reading, favs, follows, and reviews. It's always awesome to read them.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing except my oc's and crazy ideas. Thanks for reading.

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><p>She can feel the warmth of the morning sun on her face, she can see the brightness through her eyelids and squints in frustration as she pulls the comforter over her face, curling herself into a ball. She can hear Luke chuckle softly.<p>

"Mornin'." He says wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer.

She wriggles herself deeper into the comforter, but it's still not dark enough. "We need darker curtains." She mumbles.

"We'll add it to the shopping list." He says pulling the comforter off of her, grinning as she glares at him in frustration and for a moment he thinks she might hit him.

A year of living together has taught him that she's not really a morning person, and her homes in New York and Philly reflected that perfectly with the dark drapes that covered her bedroom windows plunging the rooms into darkness at all hours of the day. They hadn't had the chance to fully decorate their new house in Washington yet and it seems that their shopping list is always growing.

She stretches languidly and lays her head on his shoulder, enjoying the morning silence. Then a door in the house slams and she lets out a frustrated sigh. "Lucy." She mumbles against him. "Remind me to change the lock, and this time don't give her a key." She says playfully as she gets out of bed and washes up.

She can already hear the sounds of pots and pans banging in the kitchen and the sound of Lucy muttering curse words by the time she heads downstairs. She finds Meg sitting patiently at the kitchen island while Lucy scrambles eggs at the stove. The counter top is littered in crumbs from toast and most of the contents of the fridge are scattered throughout the rest of the counters.

"I know you two have your own homes, so why do you come here for breakfast?" Angel asks as she steps over a broken egg and reaches for the paper towels.

"Because you keep your fridge full." Lucy smiles.

"Yeah, we forgot to go shopping before the job so what little we had left in our fridge expired." Meg tells her; taking a bite of toast.

"My milk was practically yogurt." Lucy adds.

"Ooohhh," Meg squeals, "Do you have yogurt?"

Angel nods and points to the bottom drawer of the fridge as she takes a seat. "Scramble me some eggs while you're at it Lucy."

"What do I look like? Your chef?" Lucy says indignantly.

"You're in our kitchen," Angel says looking over at her, "using my groceries to cook your breakfast."

"Scrambled eggs comin' right up." Lucy says quickly.

"Where's the big guy?" Meg mutters with her mouth full of food.

Angel continues to wipe up the counters, "Washing up." Angel starts putting some of the food they've taken out back in the fridge, an attempt to get the kitchen to look somewhat normal again. Anytime Lucy and Meg stop by for breakfast or any meal they manage to make their kitchen look like a warzone instead of the large and freshly modeled kitchen it was. Their constant visiting had lead her and Luke to have it completely redone, and almost every surface was covered in marble. They felt that maybe it would withstand Lucy and Meg's use of their expensive knives, particularly Lucy's wild use of the large butcher knife. So far nothing's been broken but it's only been a few months since they've had it done.

The rest of the house was coming together nicely, they'd finally gotten furniture in the living and dining rooms, her and Luke's bedroom was almost done. They were choosing carpet and paint colors for the guest rooms but she had no intention of buying beds for them anytime soon since she knows that'll only lead to Meg and Lucy never leaving her and Luke in peace. Then there were the bathrooms, out of the four and a half the house came with she'd only really finished with her and Luke's private bathroom. The rest had some basic remodeling done, new showers, tubs, and toilets but not much else. She'd never known living with someone and sharing a house with someone other than Lucy or Meg would be so crazy, and yet so fun.

"So did you two really just come here to eat my food again?" Angel smiles as she watches Meg eat nearly everything in sight.

Meg shakes her head and looks at Lucy, then Angel before swallowing and hesitating a moment. "David wants to see us at the office." She says quietly.

"What for?" Angel wonders aloud, "We still have some leave time, and I'm not…"

"He said it was urgent." Lucy cuts in, her face and tone serious.

"Is he ok?" Angel asks quickly, David was never one to cut into their leave time unless there was a serious emergency.

"He's fine, but he said it's very important and he needed to speak with us." Meg explains.

Angel sits quietly for a moment, her mind running over a multitude of thoughts, wondering what could be so important. She'd go of course, and hopefully it's something silly because she was still looking forward to the rest of her time off with Luke.

Lucy seems to read her mind, "We'll be back shortly and then you and Hulk can get back to your wonderful vacation." She says with a lilt in her voice. Meg just smiles, Lucy grins as they watch Angel's cheeks redden slightly.

"Shut up."

"Seriously," Lucy says with a mouthful of scrambled eggs, "I'm surprised there's no little Luke's or Lucy's running around yet."

Angel practically chokes on her orange juice at the mention of kids. The look she shoots to Meg and Lucy clearly express her feelings for a discussion the two always manage to bring up. They love to rile her. Angel takes a breath and wipes the juice from her shirt and shorts. "Little Lucy's?" She suddenly thinks on what Lucy said.

"Well yeah," Lucy says with a serious face, "Obviously your first born daughter will be my namesake."

"Hey, why Lucy? Meg sounds better." Meg declares.

Angel just shakes her head at the two of them, if they were sitting any closer she would've smacked their heads together. She smiles at the thought but the smile is quickly chased away when she hears the sound of Luke coming down the stairs. She glares quickly at the both of them to silence their talk of babies, it's not something her and Luke have ever even mentioned, let alone have a full discussion about and she doesn't want him getting the wrong idea.

"Morning ladies." He says cheerfully with a smile.

"Hey big guy." Meg and Lucy say warmly.

Luke grabs some juice and sits by Angel, stealing a few eggs off her plate while she threatens to stab him with her fork.

"So what are you ladies doing today?"

"Well we were…" Lucy starts.

"We're going shopping." Angel says quickly, shooting a quick glance to Lucy and Meg. They're always quick to catch on to her queues, and immediately go along with her.

"Oh god." Luke grumbles with a frown.

"Relax big guy," Lucy says patting him on his shoulder. "We got it this time, you don't have to come."

Luke sighs in relief, the last time he was dragged along on one of their shopping excursions it had been six straight hours of shopping which involved him sitting by dressing rooms, watching them look at chunks of fabric and colors for curtains and couches, and him holding Angel's purse.

"You big baby." Angel says playfully leaning against him. He puts his arm over her shoulders and kisses her head.

"Yuck, you two are being all sweet, makes me sick." Lucy says getting up to clear her plate.

"We should get going." Meg says after checking her cell.

"See ya later." Angel says kissing Luke briefly as she follows them out. She decides to leave her car and go with Lucy and Meg. She sits shotgun while Lucy revs the engine on her Mustang Shelby and they drive off.

"So why didn't you tell Luke we were headed to the office?" Lucy asks as she tears down the streets, avoiding a few stop signs and running a red light. Angel finds it astonishing that she still has a license.

"Because he knows that David wouldn't interrupt our vacation time unless it was a serious job or issue, and if that is in fact the case he's going to start fussing about me going on the job, whatever it may be." Angel explains.

"Oh, that makes sense." Meg says leaning forward between the seats.

"He still being overprotective?" Lucy asks as she takes a sharp turn, causing Angel and Meg to brace themselves.

Angel's hands are gripping the sides of her chair and she finds herself swearing to never to let Lucy drive her anywhere ever again. "Yeah, he's always like that."

"I think it's sweet that he cares so much. You do have to understand where he's coming from, you're his girlfriend and you have a dangerous job." Meg clarifies.

"So does he, he does the same shit." Lucy argues.

"Hey, seriously I don't mind so much that he's protective," Angel chimes in, "I do find it sweet and endearing, but sometimes unnecessary. So what he doesn't know, won't hurt him. Right?" She looks at Lucy and Meg expectantly.

Lucy nods her head, Meg reluctantly agrees and sits back, quickly buckling her seatbelt when they narrowly avoid hitting a garbage truck.

Twenty harrowing minutes later they're at David's office, Lucy spinning childishly in her seat as Meg munches on a bag of chips she had to buy from the vending machine down the hall, and Angel sits listening to David intently as he explains the current situation.

There's mention of the "nightshade" device that they'd stumbled on a year ago and it puts her slightly on edge at the thought of that job with Malachai. They never had gotten to who had been behind it all. Though it's unsettling she can't help but want to discover who's behind it all and though Meg quietly suggests they find someone else for the job, Angel accepts David's request for assistance.

"We're not going after anybody Meg." Angel tells her as they walk down the halls and towards the elevators. "We're just going to find out some information, do a little recon. That's it." Angel smiles to put her at ease but Meg doesn't seem to be buying it.

"Piece of cake." Lucy tells her patting Meg on her back.

Meg nods her head hesitantly, "Mmm…cake." She smiles.

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><p>It takes them a week to dig deeper into the Intel provided by David, she would've been done sooner but she's been trying to act like she's still on leave while with Luke and not running a job. It's difficult but she's pulled it off. The more they find out, the more she realizes they're going to have to do some more recon. Recon which is going to involve some travelling.<p>

Meg's not thrilled about the idea when she first mentions it while they're over for dinner one night. She sends Luke out for dessert and brings it to their attention while she has the chance. Lucy's quick to jump on board, she gets antsy with too much downtime. Meg quickly comes around to the idea and by the time Luke gets back with the dessert they've got their preliminary planning done. They let David know where they'll be headed and Lucy's quick to spin a story for Luke about how she's ready to go on a shopping spree and girl's week out. At the mention of shopping he's more than happy to be left out of the plans, though clearly not thrilled about being apart from Angel.

They finish dinner, she bids Lucy and Meg a good night and spends the night under Luke's body lost in pleasure. The following morning when she kisses him goodbye she feels guilty because she's lying to him. It's only a simple lie she tries to tell herself, tries to justify it.

"It's fine." Lucy tells her as they sit in their pilot's seats and start up the engines. "He won't know because we'll be back in a few days and we'll be fine."

Meg nods her head but seems just as unsure as Angel feels. "We got this." She says trying to be confident, she smiles slightly. "Right?"

Angel nods her head, "Yeah, just simple recon. We find what we're looking for and come back. No engagements, no possible complications."

"Who knows, we may actually get to do some shopping after all." Lucy smirks.

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><p>So it's kind of a filler chapter, sorry if it's not exciting or anything but the next one will be. Thanks for reading, reviewing, faving, and following.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you so much for continuing to read my story. And a very huge thanks to everyone fav/following the story and to the lovely reviewers who have made these past few days amazing. Every time i see a new review i grin from ear to ear, so thank you. To the guest who requested more hotness between Luke and Angel, believe me i'm going to work as much of that as possible because those chapters are pretty fun to write but this one won't be one of them (sorry). And to AnnieAC, thank you for that wonderful review!

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><p><em>The sound of a few thousand pounds of steel crashing against solid concrete is a horrible sound. As the metal bends and breaks it screeches loudly, that coupled with the sound of the concrete breaking and shifting can be terrifying. Add to that the sound of the passenger's screams and you have a truly frightening experience. It's a horrible nightmare to have, she thinks to herself.<em>

_It's so realistic, she could almost feel the touch of the freezing water pouring in through the car doors. It slowly fills the car, and she's almost paralyzed with fear as she feels it reach her chest and continue to rise. Her arms are heavy, too heavy to move. Her legs pinned down by twisted metal. Her head is pounding, eyesight blurry, she can hear her name being called. She can hear their panic, she can feel hands on her shoulders before the world goes completely dark. _

She hears their voices before she sees them, her vision too blurry to make out more than bright lights. "I think she's waking up." Is it Meg or Lucy's voice, she's not sure. God her head hurts. Everything hurts, but what draws her attention above all else is the feeling of something down her throat. She gags uncomfortably and she suddenly struggles to breathe. Her hands fly to her throat, it hurts but she finds the tube protruding from her mouth and begins to pull.

"No, Angel stop." It's Lucy grabbing for her hands now, trying to hold them to her sides.

She puts up quite the fight despite being injured, she can hear Meg at her side pleading with her to calm down and stop moving. Lucy's hands are still on hers, fighting weakly to keep her from pulling the tube out but she's no match for Angel's persistence and with a wretch she has the tube pulled out of her throat and she's left gasping for air as the nurses and doctors rush in. They're yelling at her in Russian, and she's a little rusty but does understand a few of their curse words. She falls back against the pillows, chest heaving as she gulps in air. Two of the nurses scramble to the monitor checking her vitals while the two doctors hover over her, one flashing the light in her eyes and the other pulling out a syringe with clear fluid prepping it for injection into her IV.

"No." she says immediately pushing the doctor's hands away from her. Her head still feels fuzzy and she refuses to be in a foreign country's hospital while drugged up. The doctors are shouting at her to cooperate, the nurses try holding her arms till she sits up and glares at them all. Every nerve in her body is practically searing with pain but she pushes through it and in a steady voice tells them to leave the room. The doctors nod to the nurses and they quietly leave the room. The older doctor then nods to his younger colleague and he hesitantly leaves the room. The old man puts the syringe back in his pocket and smiles gently.

"You are very injured." He says with a heavy accent. "Very bad accident."

She looks over at Lucy and Meg, it was no accident. They were run off the roads by two large SUVs, she remembers the chase and the sound of their breaks screeching but not much else after that. Someone had known who they were and what they were here for, otherwise why take the time and effort to try and get rid of 3 simple 'tourists'.

"You need rest, and medicine." The doctor says still smiling gently.

Angel knows he means well but she needs to get Stateside as quickly as possible and inform David of this latest development. "Rest." Angel nods her head, then reaches for the IV in her arm, "No more medicine." She shakes her head for emphasis.

The doctor nods slowly before holding up her chart and scribbling some notes. "Food." He tells her with a nod of his head as he heads out the room closing the door behind him.

Angel takes a moment to look at Meg who sits in a small chair beside her bed, her leg in a cast and the entire right side of her face bruised and lined with small cuts. Lucy looks slightly better though some bruising is clearly evident on the left side of her face, neck, and shoulder. Her left arm is wrapped in bandages from palm to elbow and she looks exhausted.

"You okay?" Angel barely manages to croak out. Her throat feels as though someone took sandpaper to it and she immediately regrets speaking.

Meg and Lucy nod their heads, "Just take it easy and lay back." Meg stands and fluffs up the pillow behind her and tries to get her to lie down.

Lucy quickly comes to her other side and does the same. "Trust me, you had it worse than us." She tells her.

Angel can't tell which part of her body to focus on, the pain was excruciating all over. She decides to calm herself and take stock for a few seconds. She leans back against the pillows and lifts her arms, they shake slightly but as she looks them over they're not so bad. Just a few bruises, some scratches from broken glass but nothing serious. Her shoulder is sore but she knows it's most likely from the impact and the seatbelt. She looks down at her body and she feels her head throb painfully. She's wearing an ugly hospital gown, but other than that she sees no serious wounds. Her right leg is wrapped in gauze from knee to the bottom of her calf. Her ankle wrapped entirely is throbbing painfully.

"Doc said it's broken." Lucy tells her.

"Your ribs are bruised and you were having trouble breathing when they brought us in which is why they did the tube thing." Meg fills her in to the rest of what's happened. They spend the next few moments telling her about their combined injuries and what little they remember from the 'accident'. The local doctors and nurses have no idea why they're in town. To them they're just silly 'American tourists' who have lost control of a car and went into a local river.

"How long?" she mumbles quietly as she pushes around the disgusting hospital food the doctor had the nurse bring her.

"They brought us in about 24 hours ago, I called David 6 hours ago and told him what happened."

Angel immediately sits up, ignoring the pain in her muscles. "Luke?" She hopes they haven't told him, she knows it's inevitable because she can't hide injuries like this from him.

"We were worried." Meg's voice is shaky and quiet. Angel looks at her and can see the tears in her eyes, she's upset that they told him before her but she understands. She gives Meg's hand a slight squeeze and smiles gently at her. Meg smiles back, glad to see she's not angry with her.

"We didn't tell him the extent of everything but he sounded pretty worried and he's flying in with David." Lucy looks nervously at Meg and Angel can see they're still not telling her something.

"What?" Angel says, her voice barely above a whisper.

Meg looks hesitantly at Angel before explaining, "We barely made it out of that wreck, Lucy helped me to the shore before diving back for you but she couldn't…" she stops for a moment as if the memory itself is painful. "We thought that…" she can't continue as her voice chokes up.

"I cut the seatbelt and I was trying to pull you out but your leg was caught and you were unconscious. It was hard and the car was filling up." Lucy's voice is also shaken, her eyes betraying the emotions she's trying to keep hidden.

"Then how the hell did I get out?"

"Two people came down off the road and dived in to grab you, it was dark and I could barely see who they were but they managed to hoist you out and someone up on the bridge called the authorities. As soon as they had you on the shore they hauled ass and we couldn't stop them." Lucy explains.

"Were they the ones who ran us off the road?"

Meg shrugs her shoulders, "I think it might've been. No one else was on that road with us that late at night. Just the two SUVs, we tried to get some info, at least a look at their faces but it was dark and we were…."

"It's okay." Angel assures Meg. She lays back against the pillows again, the aches and pains drain what little energy she has. The food is unbearable and doesn't help but she can't sleep either. Not with all the worry on her now.

They'd only been in Russia for 3 days and had gotten pretty far with the "Nightshade" issue. They had yet to find out who was behind it all but they were getting close. They'd alerted the local Military personnel of the importance for security around one of the pieces they housed in the city. At first they had been reluctant to listen to them, after all relationships between Russia and the US were never really amicable even between fellow agents. But after they'd shown them their Intel and briefed them on their mission with Malachai they were keen on upping their security. The Russian agents didn't give them the details but assured them that they would remain vigilant. Regardless of what side they were on, no one wanted the Nightshade device to be assembled so once the Russian agents had given their word to alert them to anything suspicious they had decided to call it a night and were prepared to head back home.

They never made it back to their plane and instead were bombarded by the 2 SUV's which started ramming them, they had tried to speed away, tried to fight back but they'd had no luck and all she remembers is the sound of the crash before everything went dark. Now she's in the hospital with an IV in her arm and a splitting headache among other pains waiting for the inevitably tense reunion she's going to have when Luke arrives.

"I lied to him." She whispers more for herself than for anyone else to hear but Lucy and Meg hear her and try to cheer her up.

"He'll understand." Lucy tries to be convincing but knows that this will no doubt be a point of contention between the two. It wasn't supposed to go wrong, it was simple recon and they should've been back home in a few days and Luke would've never had a clue.

Angel glances at the clock, they'll probably arrive within a few hours so she had some time to think of what she'd say to Luke and try to make herself look like she hadn't just avoided a brush with death. "I need some clean clothes and some makeup." She tells Meg and Lucy, they nod their heads and get to work.

* * *

><p>"What part of the plan did you not understand!?" Shaw's voice is dangerously low, a clear sign of his anger towards them and she finds herself briefly worried.<p>

"We didn't kill any of them." Vegh answers him with a steady voice. Klaus looks at her worriedly, they have no way of knowing for sure if the three women had survived the crash.

"Running them off the road was not a part of the plan that we had discussed."

She can't see Shaw's face and is happy that he's thousands of miles away because if he was in front of them right now she's not sure they'd be standing. "Every other opportunity eluded us and our contingency plan was also not an option." She, Klaus and Adolfson had truly tried every option at their disposal for a clean and clear mission. They'd only had to injure her enough to make sure she'd no longer be following the Nightshade device or their operations. They had planned it in advance and with Shaw's instructions had been confident it'd be quite simple. Unfortunately Angel Sanclair had proven to be a tough mark to handle.

She was constantly surrounded by her companions, she'd taken every precautionary measure even though she had no clue she had people tailing her. She was just a very cautious agent and had obviously had extensive training which made their job much more difficult. Adolfson had considered simply setting up a post outside the Russian Security buildings while the three women were visiting inside and simply shooting her but Vegh had immediately voice opposition to the idea. Adolfson was an excellent marksman but it only took one slight slip to the left or right for him to accidentaly nick an artery and cause her to bleed out. Shaw had made it perfectly clear to them that if either of the ladies involved suffered fatal injuries their heads would roll, and he made sure they were aware of Angel's significance. She must remain alive and well, only injured enough to get her off their case.

She'd briefly considered having Klaus take her on but the other two never left her side and though she was confident in Klaus' fighting abilities the dossiers compiled on the three ladies showed that alone they'd be formidable opponents but together would most likely be enough to kill the behemoth. So Vegh had gone with what she had thought would be a pretty good back up plan.

"We pulled her out and called the ambulance." Klaus says quietly attempting to appease Shaw.

"Where is she now?" Shaw asks, his voice a little louder.

"One of the local hospitals." Vegh answers quickly. She waves to Adolfson and he nods his head quickly pulling out his phone and searching for the nearest hospital.

"Find her and be sure that she's alive, report back to me when you have."

"I told you she's probably fine.." Vegh says rather annoyed with Shaw's attentions for the mystery woman.

"I want confirmation, for your sake she'd better be fine." He hangs up the phone before any of them can reply.

Vegh glances at Adolfson, "Well?"

"I've got the number to the local hospital, I'll call and see if she was brought in."

Klaus shakes his head, "That won't do, you heard Shaw. He wants confirmation that she's alive."

"You're right," Vegh says tossing the phone on the table, "and that's why you're going to go in person to the hospital and check on her."

Klaus glares at her, "Why me?"

"Cause you're the one who pushed the car into the lake to begin with." Adolfson replies as he hangs up his phone. He jots down the address to the hospital on a piece of paper and hands it to him.

Klaus grimaces but gets in the truck and heads out to the hospital. Adolfson sits down and uncorks a bottle of Vodka, taking a deep gulp before passing it to Vegh. She takes a few sips before setting the bottle on the table. "How fucked are we if she's dead?" Adolfson asks her quietly.

Normally she'd say that she and Adolfson are almost untouchable when it comes to Shaw's rage. They've been with him for years and she'd almost be comfortable enough to say they'd be irreplaceable to the team. But given the importance he seemed to put on this "Angelique" woman she thinks that maybe even partners as loyal as she and Adolfson are in fact replaceable if it turns out that she's dead.

"I think he'll give us a few hours to run out of consideration for years of loyal service." Vegh says as she reaches for the bottle and drains half of it.

* * *

><p>Angel listens to the doctors as they argue with her, they shout about her taking out the IV, not eating any of the atrocious food they bought, and her getting out of the bed to wash up and change. She ignores them as best as they can though the volume of their voices is doing nothing to help her headache. She glances at the small mirror Meg gave her, no amount of makeup was going to hide the stitches at the edge of her forehead. Five small stitches for a deep gash, the cause of her current headache and of a concussion which she'd been unaware of until the doctor had shouted it to her moments ago.<p>

With the assistance of Lucy and Meg she had managed to at least comb through her hair, taking out a few pieces of glass that had remained and trying to clean off some of the blood by her stitches. She'd managed to wash up a bit but taking a shower had proven difficult with her leg wrapped in gauze and her ankle in a cast but she'd done her best. Lucy had managed to run out and buy some jeans and a simple sweater from a small store down the street for her to wear since the clothes she'd had on in the accident were wet and covered in blood.

"Be honest, how bad do I look?" She asks Meg as the doctor's continue to berate her.

"Much better."

The doctor's squabbling silences quickly and she looks up from the small mirror to see David standing at the door. He smiles at her briefly before telling the doctors in flawless Russian to get lost. She's just about to ask for Luke when he walks in behind him. The look on his face makes her heart drop to her stomach.

David shares a quick look with Lucy and Meg and they quietly leave the two alone, closing the door behind them.

"I'm okay." She tells him quickly as she sees his eyes filled with worry as he looks over her injuries. "They're not as bad as they look." She smiles through the pain she's feeling in an attempt to sell the lie.

He walks over to her, slowly inspecting her various injuries. He knows she's lying, David had taken a quick glance at the medical file outside the door and had informed him of the extent of her injuries. He's not sure how to feel at the moment, the whole flight over he'd been a wreck. The worry and fear that she wouldn't make it had torn at him from the moment he'd gotten David's call. Now seeing her was some relief, she's alive and breathing, but how close had he come to losing her? And why hadn't she told him about this job.

He'd practically argued with David about it during the flight, David hadn't really argued, more like listened silently as he shouted angrily. David had known he was just incredibly worried and didn't fault him for it but actually apologized for not having told Luke sooner.

He brushes her hair away from her face, glancing briefly at the stitches at the edge of her forehead before looking into her eyes. Their brown depths stare back into his and the anger he's felt melts away and he pulls her into his lap, gently wrapping his arms around her. They stay like that for a while, not a word spoken between them till the door opens revealing a large orderly.

He simply smiles and nods his head towards her food tray, abandoned and cold he picks it up and nods his head to them before making his way out of the room. Lucy and Meg walk in after him, "Do you think you'd be okay to head back tonight?" they ask her.

Luke tenses slightly, uncomfortable with the idea of her leaving a hospital so soon but she quickly replies and slowly stands with his assistance. The nurse offers to bring a wheel chair but Luke easily lifts her into his arms and carries her out to the car, wrapping his jacket around her to shield her from the cold night air. The ride to the plane is a silent one, and when they arrive at the small airport Lucy and Meg separate to fly their plane back while David goes with Luke and Angel in the smaller private jet.

After takeoff, David talks with Angel briefly about what took place, it takes a while as it still hurts for her to speak but she fills him in on what she can remember before the accident. He hugs her briefly before heading to the cockpit under the pretense of assisting the pilot but they know it's just to give them some privacy.

She knows that a discussion with Luke is inevitable, most likely an argument but she knows Luke won't do it now, not when she's injured. Still she's not sure how to act and feels terribly guilty about lying to him. She tries to sit quietly in her chair beside him but can't stop fidgeting and he notices. He holds her hand, squeezing it gently before smiling at her. She smiles back before leaning forward to kiss him gently. He pulls her carefully onto his lap as she curls against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

He holds her against him for the whole flight as she sleeps peacefully. The entire time he can only think about how close he would've come to losing her. She's bruised and injured and he wasn't there to stop it. He's worried, sad, and angry all at the same time but now's not the time to hash it all out. So he holds her a little tighter and whispers I love you as he settles in for the long flight home.

* * *

><p>"Do you have confirmation?" Shaw asks, his voice still on edge.<p>

"Klaus saw her with his own eyes." Vegh informs him. "She wasn't alone, her team were right beside him and the large man from the video was by her side as well so he couldn't take a photograph but he managed to read her chart. She has no life threatening injuries, she'll be fine."

"Good." Shaw sighs in relief, "Stay there and begin prepping for the next phase of our operation. I've just had word that the Russians have upped the ante and we'll have to change our plans a bit."

"We'll get started." Vegh replies.

"I'll be there by tomorrow afternoon." Shaw says before tossing his phone on the couch. He spares a glance at Riley, noticing the look of aggravation on her face. "Something wrong?" He's growing tired of the jealousy she's been showing the past few days since she's found out about his interest in Angel and her involvement with "Nightshade".

"Nothing, just glad to hear your ex is doing swell." She responds trying, but failing miserably to conceal the bitterness from her voice.

"I've told you a thousand times," Shaw says trying to hide the irritation from his. "She's not my ex."

Riley turns from him, arms folded across her chest as she rolls her eyes. "Sure."

He turns her roughly and crashes his lips to hers in a searing kiss, after a few moments he pulls away leaving her breathless and lips reddened. "She's an old friend and I would never hurt her. You've nothing to be jealous about."

She leans into him, "I've got to head back." She tells him quietly glancing at her bags by the door.

"When this is all done, we'll be together again and you won't have to leave anymore." He tells her, kissing her briefly once more before watching her leave. He packs his things and carefully reworks his plans.

The Intel he's just rec'd from his inside men tells him that the Russians have stepped up their security procedures, no doubt at the behest of Angelique. No matter, he's always loved a challenge.

* * *

><p>So I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sure it's a bit irritating how i kind of fast forward a few days or weeks between chapters but i'm no good with filler chapters and i'm really trying to make it through the 6th movie combining with this story before April which is when the 7th one comes out. (yay!) By the way, Adolfson is the name of the character who poses as a soldier to infiltrate the military base towards the end of the movie, also the one who had the sniper rifle trained on Dom during the discussion he and Shaw had in the middle of the movie. Thanks for reading!<p> 


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